Carbon Footprint of the School of Architecture, Art, and Design, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to assess the carbon footprint of the School of Architecture, Art, and Design at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in the fiscal year 2023. Additionally, it aimed to establish a framework for internal data collection to support a comprehensive long-term carbon footprint database. The research was conducted in 3 phases: 1) collecting concepts, theories, and activity data contributing to greenhouse gas emissions through field surveys, interviews, and observations; 2) calculating greenhouse gas emissions followed the Carbon Footprint for Organizations (CFO) guidelines established by Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization: TGO); 3). analyzing and comparing the results.

The results show that the total greenhouse gas emissions amounted to 1,257.13 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). Emissions were distributed as follows: Scope 1 accounted for 8.36%, Scope 2 for 71.25%, and Scope 3 for 20.40% of the total. The highest emissions occurred in May and September 2023, with emissions of 127.39 and 117.42 tCO₂e, respectively. These peaks corresponded with periods of increased student activity related to project submissions. Conversely, the lowest emissions were observed during academic breaks in December 2022 and January 2023, with values of 61.88 and 75.01 tCO₂e, respectively. From the study, the researcher developed a framework for data collection tables for each department to facilitate the evaluation of the carbon footprint for the organization.